A New DIY Hair Gel!

The girls’ hair after their first time plopping and using gelatin hair gel!!

I tried a new hair gel recently! It was SO incredibly easy to make!! I loved that fact immensely, I also loved the hold. The first gel I tried making on my own is made from flax seeds and water. I got that recipe from Mommypotumus. In her post about hair gel she gives three recipes. I tried the flax seed recipe because she said that it likely had the strongest hold. It’s super simple to mix up, but it can be a little tricky to get strained through the cheese cloth. So, one day when the girls expressed interest in plopping their hair (a simple drying technique for curly hair) and I was really low on gel and energy, I decided to try her gelatin recipe.

It was so, so much easier to make. I mean you don’t even have to heat water on the stovetop, let alone strain anything! The one caution she gives though is that eventually gelatin, although it strengthens hair can reduce your hair’s elasticity. I had noticed a HUGE increase in my hair’s elasticity since using the flax seed gel, so I figured even if this did reduce my elasticity I’d be okay for a while. I was good for a bit, but I did notice a loss of elasticity. So, I have decided to go back and forth between the two, which is what she suggests in her post on the three recipes.

So, this recipe gets a HUGE thumbs up for ease, hold and overall usefulness. It is worth noting that, at least at the strength I make it, when you keep it in the refrigerator it does turn into a pretty solid gel and can be a bit tricky at times to get worked into your hair. But, if you let it warm slightly it becomes easier to work with. It also gets softer as you use it up. I’m not sure if somehow some of the gelatin gets used up first and leaves a higher amount of water versus gelatin towards the end of the batch, but something like that seems to happen. For some reason, this last batch of flax seed gel that I made turned out easier to get through the cheese cloth (I think doing it with tongs while it is still hot helped A LOT). It also seems to have even stronger hold than my previous batches! I highly recommend both types and do plan to go back and forth between them. The gelatin is my favorite for ease and hold. The flax is my favorite for hair growth and increased elasticity. I love both for using natural ingredients in my hair that I am happy to let the girls use anytime they are interested. So, here is the gelatin recipe and directions.

Gelatin Hair Gel Recipe:

1/4-1/2 tsp gelatin (I use 1/2 tsp)

1/2 cup very warm water

up to 24 drops of essential oil (I’ve used peppermint and lavender)

Gelatin Hair Gel Directions: